The Underwater Photography Guide
Have you ever wondered how to take those amazing underwater pictures? Specially the split ones (half above/half underneath the surface) are pretty cool, right? They are a great way to bring your Instagram photography to another level and transform your otherwise average pictures into something breathtaking.
Follow this underwater photography guide to learn about the equipment, the techniques and the edit of underwater photos, so you are perfectly prepared for your next beach or pool vacation.
The Equipment
First thing first – You need an underwater camera. I own a Gopro Hero 4 with an underwater housing for years now – it works perfectly fin for me, but if you do a little reaseach there are a lot of different version of the Gopro. If you like to get a newer version like the Gopro 7 you probably will get an even better result. I highly recommand one with a display, since it’s so much easier to actually see what you are shooting under water.
The next essential you’ll need for taking breathtaking underwater pictures is a dome lense. There are a lot of different types avaible online, so make sure it fits for your camera – e.g a dome for the Gopro Hero 4 won’t fit on a Gopro 7. I choosed a dome lense from Teselin and I’m super happy with the results and the handling.
Insider Tip: Always test the equipment before you enter the water at least ones! Take the camera out, close the housing and dip it into water. If water is pouring in, the housing is damaged.
Be careful with the dome…
The surface of the dome is super sensitive, so always protect your dome with a safety cover. After usage rinse your dome with water to clean it from salt and sand.
If it gets scratched it will show on your photos and this something you want to avoid.
The Teselin one already came with a protective pouch, so use it wisely. 😉
…and keep it clean
As much as you want to protect your dome from scratches as much you want to keep it clean. Specially while taking pictures.
Like scratches and dirt, also water droplets will effect the quality of your pictures. To avoid them on your dome just dip it into the water now and then. If any drops remain it’ll easy to get rid of them while editing as long as they not covering the main subject in your pictures.
Shooting Conditions
Ok, to be honest – starting underwater photography needs training! The best way to begin with your underwater photography adventure is to practice in calm and clear water conditions.
For the very first try probably a pool would be my weapon of choice, since there are no waves, no sand or fishes – so you can follow my underwater photography guide in peace.
If you’re brave enought to shoot in the ocean, you still have to take a look for the right conditions.
From my experience those are the best conditions for getting great results for your underwater photography:
Techniques
- SHOOT A LOT
First of all you have to shoot a lot! From 50 pictures we take there is one I choose for my instagram. Under water everything moves – so you have to keep taking pictures for catching the right moment – particularly with waves around you it gets a little tricky with the timing.
- WAIT FOR THE SAND TO SETTLE DOWN
Specially when you are shooting near the beach or with fins on you have to wait till the sand settles down – otherwise it will affect the visibility under water and the colors of the pictures aren’t as bright and vibrant as you want them to be!
- GET CLOSE
You think you already close to your subject? GET CLOSER! For a clear and even result you have to keep your main subject close to the lense. Always keep in mind that the Go Pro shoots with an extreme wide-angle lense, so when you take pictures, it appears like your subject is further away than it actually is.
Editing
The shocking truth is, just taking underwater pictures won’t be enough. Light goes a different way under water and this affects e.g. the color of your skin, clarity and definition. Also you’re not able to adjust the aperture or ISO or any settings in general on your GoPro once you entered the water, so a lot of picture will turn out too dark.
This is nothing Lightroom or Photoshop won’t fix. Just play around with shadows, light and tint and watch the magic happens. You’ll be shocked how much your photo will change during the process. Besides you can get rid of those annoying water droplets now 😉
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Insider Tip: Lightroom offers a free version in your app store and also Snapseed is a great app to edit your underwater pictures on your mobile advice.
Was this underwater photography guide helpful? I’m happy to hear your thoughts, suggestions or questions – just comment below!
You want to take incredible Instagram pictures all around the world? Check out my blogpost on “The most instagrammable place in Rhodes, Greece”
